Running Heals Wrap-Up

Becky’s bib number allowed us to track and time her progress throughout the race.

March 14, 2015 marked the 20th anniversary of the day Beth Strother lost her life to intimate partner violence. To honor Beth’s memory, runner Becky Loos decided to dedicate her race in the NYC Half Marathon.

Becky joined forces with Beth’s mother, Claire Sheppard, to raise funds for survivors who find themselves in similar situations. Claire shared with Becky that her daughter enjoyed running cross country in middle school, and Becky shared that she felt running had helped her to heal from personal struggles.

Running Heals was born, with a goal to raise $5,000 for Safe Harbor. It was Safe Harbor’s first attempt at a completely online fundraiser, and Becky was training in the snowy streets of Richmond for her first half marathon race.

The half marathon course began in Central Park, passed through Times Square and ended on Wall Street.

The Friday before the race, Becky had met with Claire and later shared the following post with her friends on Facebook:

I’m sitting at lunch with an amazing woman who lost her daughter 20 years ago to domestic violence. She gave me her daughter’s unicorn charm that I will wear. The unicorn represents …strong, wild and fierce. And that’s how I will run NYC in honor of Beth.

By race day on March 15, Becky was in New York and Running Heals was less than $500 away from meeting the goal. After the race began, we tracked Becky’s progress through a live tracker app and watched her run throughout the city and toward the finish line.

After reaching the end, Becky shared this picture and message on Facebook:

Becky finished the half marathon in 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Trying to capture this moment is hard. I smiled through Central Park and my legs felt faster than they have in awhile. I felt on fire as the lights of Times Square hit my face. I asked for help from my angels Beth and Meg to carry me home at mile 11. I’m filled with great gratitude and emotion right now because my journey to a healthier lifestyle just got kicked into full swing. Watch out world I have many more miles to conquer. Special thank you to all the cheerleaders in my life and those that donated to Safe Harbor and in memory of Beth Strother.

Since the race ended, we’ve surpassed our goal by more than $200!

Support for Becky flooded into the Running Heals fundraising website, and by Monday we were beyond excited to find that we had surpassed our goal of $5,000! This was possible thanks to everyone who gave, big and small, because they wanted to support Becky and honor Beth.

Running Heals was not only a success because of the funds we raised together, but because of the awareness we brought to survivors of intimate partner violence, and the light we shone on a beautiful life that was tragically cut short.

Safe Harbor did not exist until five years after Beth was lost, but today the agency works to help survivors transform their lives, to break the cycle of violence and prevent another tragedy.

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Testimonials

Great experience and gained great amount of knowledge. Since this is so prevalent in today's society it is best to have the most information possible.
“I learned that I am as strong as I think I am, and that I am definitely a survivor.” - T, domestic violence survivor“Both my child and I have received counseling that has added to the quality of our life. I know that I am not alone, and that has made me a better parent.”- I, domestic violence survivor“I feel so fortunate to have found a program like Safe Harbor. I was greeted with smiles, a calming presence, and a place to heal and rebuild my life.Thank you!” -M., domestic violence survivor“Safe Harbor helped me to get a preliminary protective order against my abuser. Their services and support helped me to navigate the court system and feel more confident. I am very grateful for these resources and to know that I was not alone during this process.”- M, domestic violence survivor“It was very nice to have someone there to give me support while I was going through the process. She was very helpful and kind. I did not know that people like that existed anymore.”- Survivor quote